Virginia has now beaten its second consecutive quality opponent. The Cavaliers squeaked by Virginia Tech 57-54 on Sunday as the two teams opened ACC play at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. Virginia leads the all-time series 80-52.

The win comes six days after beating No. 13 Minnesota 87-79. The Hokies (4-4, 0-1) had been ranked earlier in the season. These two wins give the Cavaliers something to be proud of going forward and may even attract attention from voters.

The Cavaliers (5-3, 1-0) were led by forward Mike Scott, who finished with a team-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He added a game-high 13 rebounds to finish with a double-double. They would need every point. Only guard Joe Harris reached double digits in scoring – just barely at that, with 10 points – and the bench contributed a total of just nine points.

That production was enough to withstand a game-high 26 points from Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney. The difference was the Virginia Tech bench. It provided just two points, all from guard Erick Green.